The governments of Tanzania and Britain have agreed to launch a new UK-Tanzania prosperity partnership aimed at increasing trade and investment, support Tanzania’s development and generate prosperity and employment opportunities for both countries. Speaking at the end of his two day visit to Tanzania, the UK Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds said that a high level prosperity partnership discussion with President Jakaya Kikwete also agreed that the partnership will focus on oil and gas, renewable energy, agriculture and the business environment. This is the second Simmond’s visit in this year.
Apart from meeting President Kikwete, Simmonds also met Zanzibar President Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, Foreign and International Cooperation Minister Bernard Membe, and the Minister for Energy and Minerals Professor Sospeter Muhongo. Simmonds’ visit follows the visit of the UK Secretary of State for International Development in Tanzania last month. The UK is already the largest investor and second bilateral donor country for Tanzania, official sources noted. [By Gerald Kitabu, 14th July 2013 (THE GUARDIAN)]
Commentary:
Certainly, Britain is the original colonizer of Tanzania after being handed over by the League of Nations immediately after the First World War. This is after the confiscation of colonies under Germany after its defeat in that war whereby Tanganyika was among them.
Therefore, since then Britain is the only country that benefitted from all the fruits of this colony before and after independence of the flag. This spans in the field of minerals, trade, military and political influence through installing its puppets to power.
However, things started to change after President Ali Hassan Mwinyi came into power and since then moved this ranch to the American side. President Mkapa also moved a step further in the same direction. President Kikwete is the one who surrendered the whole ranch therefore most benefits are currently for America and not Britain as before. However, Britain as a Capitalist country with a special vision, it has not yet lost hope and tries to restore its position and dislodge America. This is why it has prepared such two trips to try and reduce the influence of the Obama trip.
The main objective and strategy of Britain on this trip and the one before is to ensure that it strives to restore its position inside Tanzania and East Africa in general which were its fortress for a long time. Apart from that, since America uses CCM and CUF parties inside Tanzania to guarantee its interests, Britain on its part uses CHADEMA so that in case it comes to power, it stands to benefit more. In case it does not succeed, there will be an opportunity to share the spoils between it and America as it happened in Zimbabwe and the Kenyan elections of 2007 by forming what is called a Government of National Unity.
Ali Amour
Member of Media Team – Hizb ut Tahrir East Africa